Daughter of Darkness
by MissGoldenHair
Summary: She was beautiful and cruel. He was handsome and unsatisfied. But she became his, and he became hers. And everything began the very first time he saw her true nature…
1. Preface

Hey,

this is my first Harry Potter fiction on this website. It's quite AU, and I was forced to change J.K. Rowling's timeline pretty much. Otherwise everything would have been totally odd, trust me. More information about this will come later, I promise, and the chapters will be much longer.

well then, thanks for giving it a try. Enjoy!

xx

MissGoldenHair

_Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own anything. Everything is J.K. Rowling's amazing work. _

* * *

**Daughter of Darkness**

And everything began the very first time he saw her true nature…

* * *

**Preface**

_"A thing must be loved before it is lovable" – G.K. Chesterton, for Beauty and the beast_

She was so beautiful. It was truly enchanting, captivating, and in some ways even maddening; to look at such a brilliant beauty would surely drive one insane. But, as he recently could not forget, she was also highly dangerous. Her heritage, or her past, was highly dangerous. The things she was capable of doing, the amount of magic she could control, were by no means for one to take lightly. And for the first time, he understood exactly why. The reason behind it, behind the whole transcendence of her personality, was now absolutely clear and so simple, that he scolded himself for not realising it before. Nonetheless, as he sat there with her, looking at her angelic features, he could not bring himself to care at all about her cruelty, or her lack of a conscience. No, in his eyes, she was just beautiful.

Every part of her.

* * *

Author's note:

I will try to update once a week, but the next "real" chapter will come right away, I hope...


	2. Chapter 1: Satisfaction

So, this is the first "real" chapter. It's also quite short, but the next one is already done and much longer.

Important: This story is about the Next Generation of Harry Potter. But, for a matter of convenience, Harry's first son was born the same year as Teddy Lupin (1998, the year that Voldemort was defeated). Also, Fred Weasley II, his sister and Victoire Weasley were born that very year.

The proportions of the siblings' ages are the same as in the real novels, which means that Albus S. Potter was born the next year etc.

Let's just say that everybody wanted children as soon as possible.

xx

MissGoldenHair

* * *

**Chapter 1: ****_Satisfaction _**

_"Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery" - Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment _

Charming people had always been one of her abilities.

Indeed, some were good at drawing, others better at running, but her talent was a very grand capability of talking to different individuals, and getting what she wanted from them. She was able to pick up interesting conversations with everybody, to find out precisely what she needed to say to a person in order to gain something, whether it may be information or simply an explanation of the silliest questions. With a perfectly white smile, a bat of her dark eyelashes, or a quick but intelligent reply, everything always went her way.

By the use of her charms, of course.

Therefore, it really was no surprise that she found herself sitting in one of the large chairs in the new Headmaster's office, the one who had replaced the great Minerva McGonagall after her final departure, and discussing the matter of her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, a pupil talking to the principal would not normally be anything strange, but the oddity of the situation was that she had never done it before. And if anyone may wonder; no, she was not a student at the magical school. Not yet, at least.

But, as the time flew by in the company of a very deluded little man, it soon became clear that she was to be given a place in the castle as one of its inhabitants, even though she was sixteen years old, and would directly be sorted with the sixth years. Hardly a first year, to be frank, and all thanks to the provost, who had already fallen in love with the witty and charming young woman in front of him. She, in return, was almost appalled at the easiness of it all, and listened to the pudgy, red-faced oldster with barely hidden disdain and boredom, though her blank expression and fake smile managed to fool him without effort.

"…And I already know that you will be a great asset to Hogwarts, Miss Wright, what with your brilliance, and I'm sure that all the students will be accepting of your arrangement, we have very good children here, you see, everybody is kind and friendly, and as for the matter of which House you will…" Mr Cattermole continued his 'assuring' speech in the same hasty fashion. Very soon, she stopped paying attention to his monotone talking altogether, only nodding along to the side of his voice.

"…But now I must let you go to one of the guest rooms, you are certainly very tired my dear. Do not sleep too long tomorrow though, for you have a special day to look forward to, as it is the first of September."

"Oh, of course not professor Cattermole, I would not miss tomorrow for the world. And I cannot possibly express my gratitude for your kindness and understanding." she answered, with such a dazzling smile and believable acting skills that her words could not be interpreted as lies. The Headmaster merely beamed at her, his small eyes almost disappearing behind the thick flesh of his cheeks.

"Now, now, that's nothing to be thankful for, it was my delight to help you, Miss Wright. We shall see each other very soon again, but off you go to bed now."

"Indeed, we shall. Thank you once again and goodnight, professor."

"Goodnight, Miss Wright."

And so with one last smile flashed in the direction of the old man, she turned on her heel and gracefully began walking out of the office with an attitude of satisfaction and smugness from her latest success. The only thing though, that her keen eyes did not notice, was the gaze of one of Hogwarts' most respected masters of all time, who watched the girl disappear from his place on the wall with a mix of worry, dread and sadness.

Albus Dumbledore's portrait was alive, sufficiently, after all.

* * *

Author's note: I will be updating this story once or twice a week, depending on my progress with it.


	3. Chapter 2: Boredom

Well, here I am again :) I couldn't really wait a week to update, sorry. I have so much fun writing this story.

This chapter is a 'beginning', and the first very long one.

xx

MissGoldenHair

* * *

**Chapter 2: ****_Boredom _**

_"Nothing is so necessary for a young man as the company of intelligent women" - Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace_

To many people, September the first was a completely usual day. Perhaps it was the beginning of a new school term for some, but nothing to feel overly excited about. However, to the young students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this was a special occasion, one they all had been waiting for. Because today, September the first, they were coming back to their favourite, and let us say, magical place.

One could easily feel the excitement radiating off of the children and teenagers who were waiting for the Hogwarts Express on platform 9 ¾, their smiles and laughter giving away how much they had missed each other over the summer holiday. With them were their anxious parents, who all wore identical masks of worry, some more than others, and a sort of 'blissful sadness', if it were possible to call an expression that. Of course they were proud of their little ones, but at the same time, no one of them could help but feel a little grief, as they knew they were letting their beloved infants grow up. It was, without doubt, a well-known feeling to all parents.

As many other families arriving at King's Cross Station, the Potter-Weasley clan, as it was called, was rushing through the magical wall with its many children, animals and carriages, like every other year. They were a mass of different ages and appearances, but almost every one of them was sporting the classical ginger, black or light blonde hair, which, as usual, made them a target of curious glances. Not to mention that they were all very loud indeed, and of course, famous.

"…But mom! Look, Rose is allowed to carry sweets with her, and she is just one year older, so why can't…"

"Because I'm mature, and you're just a baby Hugo! Besides, sweets are really bad for your teeth…"

"…Frederick Weasley the second! If I get one more letter from professor Cattermole, saying that you hexed a classmate or did something equally absurd, you can count on getting a Howler from both me and your grandmother Mister…"

"…So, there you go dear Molly, and don't be afraid darling, being a prefect is wonderful, just ask your father, but remember your duties and studies along the way too, and everything will be…"

It was in the middle of this family banter that James Sirius Potter, as usual, found himself standing without a real purpose. He was sixteen years old, "Gryffindor's Golden Boy", and the eldest son of the legendary Harry Potter. To top it all, he had filled out pretty nicely over the summer, and was now both taller and broader than his father and most of his cousins. His creamy skin was tanned from long days playing Quidditch in the sun, his hazel eyes sparkling with wit, and his walk smooth, despite his somehow bulky frame. In other words, he was quite handsome, which several young ladies noticed, although he paid them no attention. No, James was in a state of complete boredom, where he was only patiently waiting for the moment where he could detach himself from the rest of his younger siblings.

"So son, how do you feel about going to back to Hogwarts, as Gryffindor's new Quidditch captain as well, eh?"

The question forced James to snap out of his cool haze and face his father, who was looking at him with slightly concerned emerald green eyes, covered by the round glasses James himself had never, thank Merlin, been forced to wear. He cleared his throat before answering with a practised reply.

"It's good dad. I mean, we will beat every other House this year, so I'm happy. And sixth year isn't as hard as seventh, so… yeah…"

"That's great. Eh…well, have a good year then and, um, mind you studies. Your mother will send you new robes to the Halloween feast, and…I guess it's a goodbye." Harry Potter, the Head Auror, was at loss for words to say to his son.

"And do try to find time to write us a few sentences every month, will you honey? You know, I really want to hear everything about your girlfriends, as we have heard you have quite a lot of them darling." came the cheeky response from his mother, Ginny Potter né Weasley, who had stepped next to her husband and draped an arm around his waist. Her broad grin showed just how much she enjoyed teasing people in general, and especially her teenaged son.

James rolled his eyes and sighed while shooting a murdering look at his cousins, Teddy Lupin and Fred Weasley, who were both watching him with mischief in their gazes. It had been them who had, without doubt, told his mother everything about his many 'girlfriends' at Hogwarts.

"Sure mom, will do. Well, bye then. See you at Christmas break."

"Goodbye darling, have fun, but not too fun." Ginny said, while kissing all of her three children on their cheeks. James was the first of them to disappear with Fred and Teddy along, his long legs carrying him further and further away from his family, until only his longish dark brown hair could be seen over the crowd. Soon afterwards both his younger siblings left to find their respective friends, leaving Harry and Ginny Potter standing alone on the now empty platform, watching the scarlet Hogwarts Express take away their children.

Ginny sighed. "Sometimes I really worry about him."

Harry angled himself towards his beloved wife. "Who? James?"

She nodded. "Yes…he just seems so awfully bored all the time, don't you think? As if he can't find anything to be excited about anymore. And the worst thing is that I don't even know when it all began. He was such a happy boy, but now…"

"I know, I have noticed it too. But perhaps it's just a phase, something that he will grow out of. Or maybe he really just needs to fall in love. In an intelligent redhead, of course. We Potter-men can't have anyone other."

Both of them laughed, their moods brightening. "Yes, It seems so. Even his namesake settled for a ginger, didn't he? Well, let us hope that he will come back to us, even if it is with a girl."

"Yeah. But let's go home now. I haven't had a moment of peace since those three monsters came home in June."

"Sure darling, I have missed peace as well."

And so the two adults went away together with the rest of their relatives, with a pray, rather than a knowledge, that their oldest son would, hopefully, become himself again.

* * *

'Sometimes this day really is a bore', James thought to himself as he and his cousins elbowed themselves through the packed corridors of the Hogwarts Express, franticly trying to find an empty compartment, which proved to be quite a mission. Everywhere were children of various ages, hugging each other and waving goodbye to their families. It seemed that they had once again entered the train too late, and would therefore be forced to share with some other students, likely younger; if they were unlucky.

"Hey, look, there's Emma! And she has a compartment to herself! – No, wait…how the hell did Victoire and Roxanne arrive before us?" Teddy said, pointing at a box a little further along the corridor where indeed their two cousins sat with their friends, the girls' different hair colours shining in the pale light from the open window.

"Come on then, thank Voldy's sodding underpants that we don't have to sit with Hugo and the rest of or baby cousins." Fred answered, forcing himself between all the pupils and knocking down a couple of scared first years on the way, shouting the excuse 'Old men coming through' for his incivility.

Soon enough the three boys arrived at their destination, opening the compartment door with glee, in Teddy and Fred's cases anyway.

"Victoire!" Teddy yelled, embracing his lean girlfriend in a big hug and covering her freckly skin with kisses, even though they had been together less then ten minutes ago. But, the girl in question did not seem to mind it at all, merely laughing at her boyfriend's antics.

"Those two are always all over each other, aren't they? Merlin, I'm so happy that they finally got together, but seriously, can't they get a private room or something?" a pretty strawberry-blonde girl said, standing to James' right, her kind eyes looking up at him with joy. James smiled for the first time that day. Emma Bones was finally back.

"Yeah, really. Oy, you two! Eat each other's faces somewhere else, will you?" James cried, interrupting the lovers in their snogging. Both he and Emma chuckled when Teddy showed them his middle finger. James then bent down to one of his best friends and kissed her round cheek, watching in the delight as she blushed. He had really missed her over the summer, almost the most out of everybody.

"It's really hard to believe that they're both in Ravenclaw, right?" she asked, placing herself next to him on one of the compartment benches.

"Absolutely. So, how's life?" James asked, letting himself fall back on the bench, so that his head was resting in Emma's lap.

From the corner of his eye he could see how her heart-shaped face reddened even more, the pink colour climbing upwards from her chin to her hairline.

"Oh you know, same old, same old. Mom cried when she waved me off, telling me how I would always be her little girl, while dad just told me to beat the hell out of you in Quidditch…" Emma replied, referring to her new position as Hufflepuff's Quidditch captain.

James snorted. "You can try little Em, but you don't stand a chance against us lions."

"We'll see." Emma laughed, raking her soft fingers through James' dark locks.

The six friends soon got into a familiar routine of joking and talking about their summer, until the compartment door opened once again, this time showing two tall boys in black Hogwarts robes with green ties.

"Oy, where have you two prats been, eh? Roxanne asked, her purple-dyed curls bouncing against her back as she stood up to hug Thomas Finnegan and Donato Zabini, the group's final members and only Slytherins.

"Ah, you know dear Roxy how popular Mr Finnegan and myself are with the ladies. We couldn't possibly disappoint them, could we?" Donato answered cheekily, kissing Roxanne's hand with a gentlemen-like gesture. The whole compartment laughed when said girl smacked him on the head. But, he really should have known better than to mess with the feisty Roxanne. It never ended well.

"Speaking of ladies, have you guys heard the rumour about a new bird starting Hogwarts?" Fred asked, when both Donato and Thomas had sat down.

Victoire, who was still sitting on Teddy's lap, shrugged. "Yeah, they say that she's going to start in our year. Apparently she comes from some part of London."

"How's that even possible? Since when could you just come to Hogwarts when you please?" Thomas, or Tommy as he was called, wondered.

"Don't know mate, but that Felicity girl has been going on about it. Apparently, because of her mom's job, she was the first to find out about it. I just hope that she is far prettier than what Fee said the new one would be." All the boys laughed at Fred's reply, as they were amused by Hogwarts' greatest gossiper.

"Oh hush. I'm sure that the new girl, if she even exists, is very pretty and kind. And you could all shut up, think about how hard it must be to come to a new school, and people are already talking about you!" Emma answered hotly, daring anybody to disagree with her. She was known for her golden heart and acceptance of others.

"No, don't be mad Em, we were just kidding." James replied, flashing a grin in Emma's direction until she also cracked a smile.

Afterwards, the group of teenagers began horsing around together, like nothing had happened. James temporarily forgot about his own lack of contentment, and let himself enjoy a time with his friends in a pretty girl's arms. It was not until the very end of the ride, when the train was approaching Hogsmeade Station, that he wondered about this new girl, and if she were indeed so kind and pretty as Emma believed.


	4. Chapter 3: Oddity

Next chapter up!

Well, I'm excited. This is where things begin to complicate. Hope you will enjoy it ;)

xx

MissGoldenHair

* * *

**Chapter 3: ****_Oddity _**

_"That girl is strange, no question, a most peculiar Mademoiselle" - Walt Disney, Beauty and the Beast _

"So, you and Emma, eh?"

"Huh?" James asked, looking confusedly at Fred, who was sitting next to him at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Both boys were hungrily waiting for the first years to be sorted, so that they could dive into the splendid food of the start-of-term feast. 'Highlight of the day' was the general description of this meal.

"Well, you were awfully cosy during the train ride, and you kept making her blush all the time, so I thought…"

James shrugged. "Oh that…nah, I mean, Emma's great, and I've missed her, but we're just mates."

Fred lifted an eyebrow, looking doubtful. "You're sure? It looked pretty 'lovey-dovey' to me."

"No, it's not like that at all. We've known each other since forever, but Emma knows that we're just friends."

Fred shook his head. "Tell her that, mate. She fancies you quite a bit."

"Oh please, she doesn't. We're just messing around," James replied, snorting. "Besides, what's it to you?"

"Nothing. Just don't want you to hurt…" Fred began answering, with his face turned away from James, before he was interrupted by Headmaster Baries Cattermole, who had finally stood up to begin his speech. Both boys flinched when they saw what the old man was wearing, as did the rest of the students. With his light blue and pink robes, his turquoise, pointy hat, he really was a sight to behold. And it did not particularly help that he had embroidered little grey cats on his clothes as well.

"Welcome, welcome to you all, both old a new children! It is time for another exciting year at Hogwarts, and I believe it will be the best one yet!" The principal cried cheerfully, like he did every year, insisting upon calling everybody 'children'.

"Of course." James and Fred sarcastically muttered at the same time, loud enough for the whole table to hear, making the students erupt in laughter. Mr Cattermole ignored it with an even bigger grin, pretending that nothing had been said.

"As you all very well know by now, we will soon welcome the first years into the hall for their sorting, which will be held by professor Flitwick, like the year before," he continued, gesturing to where the tiny teacher stood next to the traditional three-legged stool with the Sorting Hat, "And I would just like to remind you all about our rules here at Hogwarts. Please note once again that the Forbidden Forest is indeed…" At this point, most of the pupils werehalf-sleeping with their heads resting on their propped-up elbows. Professor Cattermole went on, introducing the new teachers and explaining about every part of the school environment, even though he knew less about it than the pupils.

"… Also note that a Halloween ball will be held at the thirty-first of October. But now, let us welcome all our dear first years!" He shouted, what seemed as an eternity later. With hardly no noise at all, the doors of the Great Hall opened, revealing a bunch of small Eleven-year-olds, their eyes huge and frightened from the sight of all the older students.

Only a chuckle could be hear from the student body, coming from Fred, who quite loudly pointed out how 'the firsties were getting tinier and tinier every year'.

* * *

"Marvellous, marvellous! Now, that all our new students have been given a House, it is soon time for our grand meal," the Headmaster began again after some time, when the Sorting Hat was finished with its sorting, "But, before this, I have a small announcement to make!"

James, whose famished stomach had been protesting for quite some time, dropped his head onto his still empty plate, sulking in defeat."Bloody hell, he's never going to stop, is he?" James irritable voice asked. However, to his great astonishment, Fred did not participate in his complainant. No, the boy's attention was glued to the elder man, like his life was depending on it. And the Sorting hat was still resting on its stool, not having been taken away.

"…A very infrequent affair, I can assure you, but we will welcome another new student to our school today, a transfer one!"

At this the rather dead Great Hall suddenly came to life, whispers and gossip erupting between the students. Was it possibly that this was the already famous sixth-year-girl, who everybody had talked about?

"So let us all greet Miss Anastasie Wright to her first ceremony at Hogwarts, where she is also to be sorted into a House!" Professor Cattermole bellowed with a smile.

With that, the entrance of the Great hall unlocked once again, this time much narrower than before. And through it walked the new girl, completely alone. And took, without doubt, everyone's breath away.

For she, even though she was not particularly tall or colourful, and did not wear any special clothing, was a real and timeless beauty. It was that kind of exquisiteness which naturally got the interest of all people present in its ambient, without even trying. She was very pale; her skin was the colour of winter's first untouched snow, absolutely flawless and almost _glowing, _and made her look like an unworldly creature, perhaps an angel. Her face was oval, with high cheekbones, dark and elegantly arched eyebrows, a blood red, plump mouth, and large eyes; framed by long and thick eyelashes, which grazed her cheeks when she looked down. Their colour was unknown, as it seemed it consisted of several shades, but the students could easily tell that her eyes were light, similar to the sunny sky, creating a strong contrast to her other looks. And like it was not sufficient already, like this odd beauty had not gotten enough fairness, she also had wavy, utterly lovely jet black hair; falling down her neat back in thick curls, like a dark robe of silk.

Then again, humans tend to find beauty tedious, even if it were extraordinary. One may look at a beautiful person, but after a while, he or she will become bored; because perfection, in itself, is boring. No, what really astonished the people about the girl that very day, was the way she carried herself, and acted as if she simply _belonged _there, completely new in the Great Hall.

Her body, which was quite short and thin upon closer look, moved flowingly and gracefully, as if her feet were not touching the ground, with her back straight and her head held high. She did not look embarrassed, afraid or even a little nervous; her eyes were not meeting anyone's gaze, desperately looking for encouragement. They were just locked on the Headmaster: gazing at him with dignity, shouting out 'I am here, and you better respect it'. And she wore no expression at all on her fair face; it was entirely blank, only the curve of her lower lip showing that she was, indeed, smirking, and radiating confidence and self-esteem. Truth be told, she looked like a goddess, entering heaven as if it were made just for her.

The only ones who did not look affected by the new girl at all, besides the ever so cheerful Headmaster, were the teachers; wearing identical expressions of indifference, like they had seen these kind of people before. One could merely guess if they were just being professional, or if they had indeed seen too much during the Second Wizarding War, that they simply could not be surprised by anything anymore. Nonetheless, the young women had by now reached the famous sorting stool, sitting there with her striking face turned towards the student body, waiting for her doom. All the scholars, even James, who had never been interested in the sorting ceremony, found themselves anxiously expecting _her _time. If somebody asked him why, he would not have been able to answer.

The hat was only resting on the girl's dark head a couple of agonizing minutes, looking unnaturally clenched, before it shouted out: "SLYTHERIN", making the Slytherin table cheer like fools. Just like James, who was grimly sitting at the other side of the hall, they were happy for an unknown reason.

"Damn", Fred muttered, appearing as disappointed as James, "I really hoped she was going to be with us. Now we won't hear the end about it from Tommy and Don." He said, nodding in the direction of the green snakes, where said boys were undeniably displaying certain arrogance.

"Yeah, but she doesn't look too happy about it, don't you think? I mean, Wright's hardly a wizard name, so she must be a Muggle-born or a Half-blood" James asked in return, feeling strangely satisfied. It was very well known, that though Slytherins and Gryffindors could be seen as friends since the war, the Slytherin House still rarely accepted students who were not Purebloods, despite the fact that Tommy was an exception.

"Don't know mate, she doesn't look like she's feeling anything at all. But Merlin's beard, she is one hell of a bird. Would be fun if we could see her again."

James did not know what to reply, so he barely turned away from his cousin, focusing once again on the chubby principal.

"Fantastic, well done Miss Wright! I am sure that Slytherin will suit you perfectly, and that everybody will be caring these first few days! But now, let us enjoy Hogwarts' tasteful supper! Dig in!"

As the golden plates one each table were slowly filled with boiled potatoes, chicken and ham pies, pork chops and fried sausages, the youngsters began to feel too occupied with eating to stare at the new girl, who sat herself at the end of the table, slightly separated from everybody else. It was oddly enough only James, after he had poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice, who met her light eyes for a brief second, catching her attention. And at that moment, he noted that her eyes did not just look blank, but also utterly cold.

* * *

Anastasie Wright could with certainty say that she did not feel anything at all.

Now, that was not an uncommon state for her, but one would believe that she should at least be a little bit nervous, if fear were an impossible emotion in her case. She was after all sitting in Hogwarts' Great Hall, in front of its children, waiting for that bloody piece of garbage called a hat to decide in which House she was going to spend her time in. But no, her mind was completely cleared of all feelings. She regarded the other students with an almost bored look, realising that they were, as people often in her presence, bewitched by her 'beauty', and could not stop gawking at her. _'What utter fools' _she thought to herself.

_"Hm…this is highly interesting…" _a hoarse voice began, speaking directly into her head.

_"Is it?" _she replied dully.

_"Oh yes, you have quite a head here, Miss Wright," _the hat continued _"One very similar to a mind I met many years ago…you have secrets I see, large ones indeed…"_

Anastasie clenched her teeth. _"I have."_

_"Do not worry Miss, it is not my place to reveal them. But you should know that things rarely stay hidden in Hogwarts…" _

_"I do not need to be worried. They will not be exposed."_

_"Very well then. My job is only to give you a House. But where to put you, that is the question…perhaps in Gryffindor?" _Anastasie snorted. _"No? You have showed a lot of bravery for coming here… maybe not, as you clearly do not see yourself as a lion. And Hufflepuff does not suit you. Ravenclaw then? It has been a long time since I last saw a mind as sharp as yours, brilliance is in here for sure, and you do have ambitions…but no, still not completely right, is it? You have more in you than just wit…you are cunning Miss Wright, calculating and sly, and this leaves only one House, which you seem to be connected to in more ways than one…" _

"SLYTHERIN," the hat yelled loudly, breaking the silence of the Great Hall. Shortly after, from the table to the right of her position, with students clad in black and green clothes, a great merriment broke free. _'How happy they are to have me," _Anastasie thought ironically _'if they only knew who I am, they would not be so jolly."_

Anastasie walked slowly down to the Slytherin table, eyeing the students and their offers of free seats with concealed distaste. Before she sat down as far away from them as possible, but not far enough to seem impolite, she met her Head of House; a vast man who seemed to be even more ridiculous than professor Cattermole. Some fools were still trying to catch her eye and start a conversation, but that could all be done tomorrow, as she had no patience for silly small talk. However, it was one dark haired boy, sitting at the other side of the room, who somehow managed to look at her in a way that made her automatically lift her gaze and meet his. The confusion was evident in his eyes for the few seconds they watched each other, as if he were able to actually _see _her. But, she must have imagined wrong, because that was, of course, impossible.


	5. Chapter 4: Brilliance

Hello,

I hope everyone's having an amazing summer so far! Here is another chapter of my story, and as usual, I'm also hoping that you will like it.

By the way, for all those who haven't seen the movie or read the book Les Miserables yet, you should absolutely do it! They're fantastic, and if you're anything like me, you will cry your eyes out several times.

xx

MissGoldenHair

* * *

**Chapter 4: ****_Brilliance_**

_"Genius is born-not paid" - Oscar Wilde_

"I'm officially going to kill myself."

James looked up from his bowl of cornflakes and milk, seeing a flushed Emma standing in front of him with an unmistakable course schedule in her hands. He folded his copy of the Daily Prophet and smirked at her.

"And why would you do that, dear Miss Bones?" he asked, amusement clearly visible in his voice.

"Because," Emma began, viciously pointing at the piece of paper, "I have double History of Magic on Tuesdays in the morning, and then after lunch DADA, with the Slytherins! Not mentioning the Transfiguration class, with you lot!"

James cocked an eyebrow. "So? You will see us on Tuesdays. Doesn't seem like a problem. At least you don't have Potions first."

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's Tuesday today, you moron. The first day of term. And you have talked with professor O'Sullivan, right?" she asked James, who nodded in confirmation. Mr O'Sullivan was the pretty funny Head of Gryffindor House, and James' mentor. "And you passed all your O.W.L.s, of course, so you will be stuck with me in the hellhole as well. Besides, Gryffindors are prats, and you know I love Don and Tom, but they are too ambitions, and frankly, become rather bossy during lessons."

"Who is rather bossy?" Teddy asked, coming over to the Gryffindor table with a ham sandwich in his mouth, and Victoire by his side.

"Apparently, Don and Tommy are, according to Em here. And we are morons." James replied, shooting a grin at Emma, who only glared at him.

"Oh, Miss Bones! I'm shocked at your viciousness! Those are your friends, your companions, and you talk foul about them!" Fred said, with a mock-angry tone, ruffling Emma's light ginger hair with one of his fists. Everybody laughed, aside from Emma, who grunted something about 'dung brains' and stalked off.

"Come on, we have to go, or else we will be late for class. And you know how Baby Sluggy reacts towards lateness." Roxanne said, who sat at James' right. The group bid each other goodbye; Teddy and Victoire walked to their first class, Charms, while James and his two cousins went to Potions, which was a hellhole, indeed.

* * *

Phaedrus Slughorn, the nephew of the great Horace Slughorn, was a large man who resembled his uncle in more ways than the students could count. The same fashion style, love of luxury, title of 'Head of Slytherin House' and enormous walrus-like moustache seemed to be family traits, as well as the interest in collecting talented students in his classes, inviting them to the 'Superb Slug Club', making his scholars baptize him 'Baby Sluggy'. Therefore, he was truly delighted to receive the new student, not only in his House, but also in his N.E.W.T. Potions class. As professor Slughorn said it himself, he thought he saw 'a keen mind under that dark little head of hers'. Because of this, he gave her a seat at the front of the dungeon classroom, keeping an eye on her progress, to see if she were indeed talented. She would, surely, be a nice part of his organization.

"Welcome to you all this very fine day," the heavy man began happily, "as you know by now, I hope, this is you N.E.W.T. Potions class, where we will brew liquids no one of you could have ever dreamt about!"

"Oh dear Merlin, he's serious, isn't he?" Roxanne grunted from where she was seated at the back of the classroom, across the hallway from James and Fred. Neither boy answered though; James was smirking at a pair of Slytherin girls who were eyeing him and giggling, while Fred was pretty close to ogling that odd but seriously hot Anastasie Wright in front of him, as the majority of the boys were already doing. Donato and Thomas were also sitting at the front of the class, but they were in return only paying attention to professor Slughorn and his teaching.

"And how better to start this interesting year than to make a little potion!" Mr Slughorn continued, fully ignoring the blunt protests from his students. "Oh, it is nothing to worry about, we will only brew a simple Elixir to Induce Euphoria, whose recipe you can find in _Advanced Potion-Making_, page ninety-seven. And can anybody tell me what this potion does, and which colour it should have when it is done?"

Both Donato and Thomas' hands shot up in the air, but professor Slughorn let his gaze gleefully drift over the students, looking for another target. "Miss Wright, do you possibly know the answer?"

Anastasie lifted her head, a soft smile forming on her red lips. "Well professor, is it not an elixir which gives the drinker a feeling of absolute euphoria, but with occasional side effects such as nose-tweaking and excessive singing? And the colour must naturally be yellow, as it represents general cheerfulness." She replied, completely smooth, like she was reading it from a textbook, but somehow succeeded to sound brilliant and hesitate, and not like a know-it-all.

"Splendid Miss Wright! That is indeed the potion, on the dot! Ten points to Slytherin!" Professor Slughorn seemed thrilled, like he was going to start dancing with joy. Anastasie merely smiled, looking as polite as ever.

One of the girls who had up until then been flirting with James, Felicity Parkinson, raised her hand. "Excuse me professor, but is this assignment meant to be done individually or in pairs?" She asked, looking eagerly at James.

"Oh Miss Parkinson, individually of course! There will be enough time to work together later! But off you go now, pick your ingredients everybody! Follow the instructions, and good luck!"

The majority of the students sulked for a few seconds, praying to Merlin that the end result of their potion would not be evaluated. If it were so, they were undeniably doomed.

* * *

"Is your cauldron supposed to like that, mate?" Fred asked after three quarter of a horrible hour, where everybody had been running around the classroom like idiots, trying to get a good grade. Mr Slughorn had informed them shortly after the beginning of the lesson that he would indeed grade their work. Fred was observing James' pudgy orange potion with a frown on his forehead.

"I don't know! I did everything that this sodding book said I should do, but clearly, only Rose and my baby sister can do well in this bloody class!" a visibly frustrated James answered.

Fred smirked. "Ah yes, those ladies have a talent, which we both unfortunately lack. Well, there's no use crying over spilt potion."

"You got that right." James sighed, collapsing backwards onto his chair. But, an overly excited professor Slughorn, who was standing by the new girl's cauldron, quickly captured his attention. He looked like he might grow wings and fly away with delight.

"Holy hippogriffs Miss Wright! This is fantastic! Truly an Elixir to Induce Euphoria, this is, and the colour is better than the book's picture! No, no this potion will not give one any side effects, I can tell! You must have added a sprig of peppermint, yes? Brilliant! One drop of this would make one feel like heaven was on earth!"

Anastasie grinned again as almost everyone in the classroom came forward to look at her potion. "Yes, I did professor. The book was incorrect in that matter. Thank you."

"Nothing, nothing my dear! Stay after class, will you, as I would gladly want to get to know you a little bit better!"

"As you wish professor." Anastasie replied, giving her potion to the teacher, as all the other scholars did at the same time, but with much unhappier expressions.

"Excellent! But now, look at the clock! Time surely goes fast when one is having a good lesson! Hand in your results everybody, and you are dismissed!"

As all the students began leaving the dungeons, already complaining about school, James stayed back a little, wanting to catch a glance of this Anastasie girl one more time. She intrigued him, and he wanted to talk to her just once, to see if his fascination was just ridiculous or if she indeed were something different. But, as it became clear that Baby Sluggy wanted to keep her to himself for quite some time, James gave up and walked to his next class, already dreading what he would be forced to do in Herbology.

* * *

"Well Miss Wright, since you have proved yourself to be an astounding pupil, not that I had any doubts, I would like to invite you to a small supper in my rooms in a month or two. It is a tiny party with a couple of others students as well, all rising stars as yourself, for example the handsome James Potter and Felicity Parkinson from this class – who are astonishing in Transfiguration, where you could meet a few of my charming friends. Hm, what do you say?"

Professor Slughorn was sitting at his desk in the dungeon classroom, watching Anastasie hopefully. She arranged her features to a look of pleasant surprise, even though she really could not wait to leave the professor's presence. Her first impression of him had been correct; he was far more ridiculous than the Headmaster.

"I would truly be honoured, professor Slughorn." Anastasie answered, but instead thought what an imbecile the teacher was.

"Excellent! I am very glad. Well then, goodbye for now Miss Wright. Lucky is the man who has met you."

"Thank you professor, I am very happy that you think so. Yes, we will surely see each other soon. Goodbye." Anastasie replied, waving to the professor on her way out of the classroom.

When she was out of sight and alone in the corridor towards her nest class, she snorted to herself. _What an idiot_, she mused, _thinking that I want to meet his friends or the spoilt oafs in class. He is very lucky that I did not hex him then and there. _And sure, professor Slughorn was lucky; unlike the students she was going to meet in her forthcoming classes.

* * *

"How in the name of Merlin can she be so bloody fantastic?!"

Thomas slammed his fist onto the Slytherin table for emphasis, where he was seated at dinner with Donato and Emma, waiting for their other friends to join them. He was, of course, referring to the Anastasie girl's strangely grand intelligence.

"I mean, did you see her in Alchemy?" He continued, looking at Donato, "Nobody even knew what she was answering, but she was perfectly able to impress professor Fitzgerald, without even trying!"

Emma chuckled. "That's nothing. She was almost too talented in DADA, it was scary."

"You're talking about the new bird, aren't you?" Roxanne asked, arriving at the Slytherin table with James and Fred in tow. They all looked pretty tired.

Donato nodded. "Yeah. Was she a wonder kid in your classes as well?"

"If she were," Fred replied, shaking his head. "We thought Baby Sluggy would propose to her, how happy he was."

Emma suddenly frowned. "But how can she be like that? She literally, I'm not kidding, mastered nonverbal spells in DADA. And we're only in sixth year!"

"Don't know. Maybe she was taught well at home or something. Could explain why she was so much better than everybody else." Roxanne mused.

"But how…her surname is 'Wright', isn't? So she can't have magical parents. And Muggles can't teach a Muggle-born to wag her wand, let alone do such complicated magic." Donato said, looking more confused than ever.

Roxanne scratched her purple head. "Yeah, you're right about that. The Headmaster said she was a transfer student, right? But he never mentioned from which school…"

"He didn't," James replied, speaking for the first time, "Maybe he wasn't allowed to. Can we please talk about something else now?"

Emma raised her eyebrows at James. "What crawled up in your arse and died?" she said, referring to his irritated voice.

"Nothing. I'm just tired of hearing about this 'amazing, brilliant Miss Wright', who can't possibly do anything wrong." James said, glaring at Emma.

"Fine, fine. We were only wondering what the matter is with her. Even Lily asked, as she had heard from Baby Sluggy how outstanding the new girl had been in Potions. You can't say that she isn't a mystery mate." Fred answered, indirectly defending Emma, who shot him a grateful smile.

James rolled his eyes, ending the discussion. "Whatever. She still isn't a damn goddess."

* * *

However, before James fell asleep in his dorm that evening, an image of this Anastasie Wright flashed before his eyes. She was clad in a long white gown, standing on some great rock, looking like a true goddess.

* * *

Author's note: Well, there you go! A little more about my own character. I just had to create another Slughorn, and 'Phaedrus' is actually the latin word for intelligent. You can decide yourselves if it's fitting for him or not ;) Clearly Anastasie doesn't think so.


	6. Chapter 5: Viciousness

Okay guys, another chapter!

This is my favorite so far, and the longest, so I hope it won't disappoint you. Also, I will be going abroad next week, and I won't have any access to internet. (Terrible, if you ask me.) So no updates for at least eight days, but I will be writing as much as I can.

xx

MissGoldenHair

* * *

**Chapter 5: ****_Viciousness _**

_"When reason fails, the devil helps!" - Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment_

_"The soul in darkness sins, but the real sinner is he who caused the darkness" - Victor Hugo, Les Miserables _

* * *

James Sirius Potter was not a stupid boy.

But, as he sat on his bed that night of the term's second week, still in his Quidditch uniform, surrounded by his sleeping friends, he felt like a complete idiot, without a clue of what he should do next.

Today, like any day, had begun entirely normal. And now it was as far away from normal as possible…

* * *

"So, do you have any ideas who to put in this year's team?"

Emma asked, as she and James were walking together towards the pitch in the evening for Gryffindor's Quidditch trials. It was the second week, after all, and time for James to select new players; a task he had both been dreading and looking forward to. The sun had barely gone down yet, giving the sky an exquisite peach colour. Emma, as the Hufflepuff captain, was only allowed to watch the try-outs because of her friendship with James. After persuading him for days, that is.

James grinned, adjusting his Firebolt 200 on one of his shoulders. "Well…I might have some, not that I'm going to tell you any, little Hufflepuff."

"Oh please, like I need your inside-information to win," she said, laughing, "I can crush the little lions by myself, thank you very much."

"Sure you can, Em. In your dreams." James smirked, noticing for the first time how pretty Emma looked that sunset. In a light green jacket that made her jade eyes pop out, her ginger hair blowing in the wind and shining in the pale light, her cheeks rosy from the slightly cold air, she really was lovely. In truth, it was no surprise that she was quite popular with several boys.

Emma shook her head, clearly amused by James' competitive nature. "Sometimes I wonder how your poor broom can carry that large arrogance."

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?" James suddenly blurted out, completely changing the subject, and referring to the upcoming Hogsmeade trip. He obviously caught Emma off guard, because her chin literally dropped, and a scarlet blush spread across her heart-shaped cheeks.

"What…um, next time in Hogsmeade? You want to go with me? Eh…sure, I mean, I would love to…yeah, we would have fun together, I think." She spluttered clumsily, reddening even more.

"Great, then it's settled. Well, here we are," James said, gesturing with his gloved-covered hand to the Quidditch pitch, which was a mix of confidant already-on-the-team-players, and nervous perhaps-making-the-team-participants.

It really was quite funny to see, James thought, while walking decidedly towards them all, leaving an alone, though very happy, Emma.

* * *

"For the last sodding time: beaters to the left with FRED Weasley, not his damn sister, and keepers to the right with ROXANNE Weasley! Is it really so bloody hard to understand, or are you all really as stupid as you look?!"

Emma smiled to herself. James was on the edge of throwing everybody out from the trials, aggravated as he was. The whole thing really was something of a mess; the poor players were so intimidated and anxious around the Gryffindor captain that they became totally lost. And James, as the ever so concentrated Quidditch fanatic, could not accept that.

But still, how could she not admire him? For Emma, it was almost impossible to look away when he was talking about something, wildly gesturing with his rough but large warm hands. Or when he was absolutely relaxed, and would wear that lopsided grin and twinkle in his hazel eyes that made her heart race with an unexpected speed. It was not just his obvious handsomeness that unleashed butterflies in her stomach, no; it was all those little things, things that simply made him _her _James.

And she could not help but dream, even though she was embarrassed by it, about what it would be like if they became more than just friends. He would surely take care of her and never hurt her, and to feel his touches, his kisses…. Emma sighed. It really was useless to dream, but perhaps they were developing something together, something which had not been there before? He did, after all, ask her to Hogsmeade together, and did not mention anything about going there as just _friends._

Emma would be lying if she said that she was not revealed by his offer, because even though she was his best friend, she knew that James hardly was innocent in _that _aspect, and that many girls in school noticed his attractiveness. And when Emma had seen the new girl arriving in the Great Hall, and noted with a spike of jealousy how _perfect_ Anastasie just seemed_, _she had truly felt anxious. What would happen if that girl suddenly wanted James? No bloke would turn her down… but clearly, she did not need to worry. The girl had not shown any interest in James, or in anyone else for that matter, and James himself had almost been annoyed at Anastasie's brilliance and the affection she got from all teachers.

No, Emma could calmly state that she was the only girl in his life so far, apart from his family, of course.

* * *

"Okay everybody, well done today. This year's team will be posted in the dorm sometime this week, so keep an eye open for your name. You can go now, bye."

James sighed when the try-outs were over and the people he had been screaming at for two hours began leaving the pitch. Luckily, he had found some new players to replace the ones who had left school last year, including a very good chaser, who would fly alongside him. James knew that the Hufflepuff and Slytherin teams were good this year, what with Emma, his little brother Albus and Donato on them, so it really was something of a reassurance that he would not embarrass Gryffindor by losing.

"Uh, that was abrasive. Did you see that little second year? Merlin's underpants, I thought the wind would blow him away, small as he was." Fred said, clapping James on the back with a tired but amused expression. Roxanne just rolled her eyes at her brother's antics.

James scoffed. "Yeah, I don't think it's really time for him to join us yet. He would be squashed in real game." he said while packing the Quidditch equipment.

"I felt bad for him, you saw how devastated he seemed when you made it very clear that he wouldn't become a beater." Emma said, smiling as she reached her friends, the light green jacket tightly wrapped around her slightly shivering frame.

Fred laughed, while giving his unnecessary sweater to Emma. "You always feel bad for everybody, Miss goody-shoes." Emma smacked his arm, but still happily accepted the shirt.

Roxanne shook her head, muttering something about 'children' while the group began walking back towards the castle at twilight.

"Hey, you know what, I'm going to go bathing for a while, in the Prefect's bathroom. I'm covered in sweat." James unexpectedly said, pausing in the entrance hall by the marble staircase. He really did not know where the idea came from, but it suddenly seemed very tempting. A bath to calm him down after a rather stressful week. Why not?

"But, you're not a prefect, how can you come in?" Emma asked, confusion visible on her face.

Fred smirked at Emma. "Ah dear little Hufflepuff, Mr Potter and I have a way to access all of Hogwarts' many entrances."

"Yeah right, by coaxing our cousin Molly into telling you the passwords. Morons." Roxanne sarcastically replied. James just grinned mischievously, similar to a Cheshire cat.

"See you later," he responded, parting with the others who were taking the right staircase to the kitchens for a quick snack. The only thing that could be heard in the quite empty space was Emma's voice, saying how 'she should have known'.

* * *

James soon came to the fifth floor, where the fourth door to the left of the statue of Boris the Bewildered was clearly visible. He visited this place quite often since he had first seen it on the Marauders' map in second year. It was so late by now, already past curfew, that there could not possibly be anyone else lazing in the bathroom. He could relax in peace.

James muttered _'Pulchra Syreni', _the new password, and expected to be let in by the outside door. But it would not open.

"What the hell…" he began, completely bemused. It was the right password, he was sure of it, since Molly herself had said so not three days ago. But, why could he not come in? James tried to pull the handle by force, but it still would not give in. The only other explanation would be that somebody had bolted the door from the inside, but that was impossible, right?

James fished his mahogany wand from his Quidditch uniform, quietly whispering_ Expulso _to the door, careful not to be heard by the ancient but still functioning caretaker Mr Filch.

He new that there was a pretty small chance _Alohomora _would , to his great astonishment, the handle silently exploded, opening the door. Whoever had locked it, had not been so careful with keeping it locked.

The bathroom was very dark once James stepped in, the usual candlelight missing from the great chandelier. And there, at the back of the room, behind the rectangular rub, illuminated by the weak light coming from the stars through the panoramic windows, were two people; the bigger one on the ground, the other standing above. One writhing, obviously in agonizing pain, the other holding a wand.

And neither had seen him so far.

* * *

Anastasie was enjoying herself.

It may be abnormal, ruthless or even atrocious, and some might call her 'a moral illiterate', but for the first time since coming to Hogwarts, she felt truly at peace. She found herself in a state of total affective disorder, where she was entirely aware of what she was doing, but only felt callousness and indifference towards it. Not that the scumbag of a Gryffindor had not deserved it; no, Anastasie was not the first girl to suffer from his greed of female company, or well, in her case, _attempt _to suffer. When he had corned her last week after classes in an empty corridor, trying to persuade her into being with him, it was already perfectly clear to her what she had to do in order to teach him a lesson. Of course, he would never know exactly_ who_ gave him the warning, but he would always have a slight fear and awareness of her from now on.

Luckily, charming people was not the only one of her abilities. She was also highly talented at the art of manipulating others, and finding out about their weak spots. Legilimency had also helped here, of course, and the boy in question had such a vulnerable mind that it really was too easy. All she needed to do was to find out that he had a love of bathing in the evenings, sneaking into the Prefect's bathroom, and the rest, as they said, was history.

She had started out slowly, even softly, casting simple _Confundo, Furnunculus _and _Conjunctivius curses_ on him, combined with a _Silencio_, naturally, as she could not risk that anybody heard her. And it was somehow even more pleasant if he could not say anything, and she would only see his tortured facial expressions. Call her a psychopath, but Anastasie truly enjoyed it.

Later, she had become bored, moving onto the more severe and stronger hexes, and was currently unleashing a strong _Crucio _on the boy, whose name she did not even know. She had learnt the spell when she was only thirteen years old, from a _known-of-such-spells_ caster, and had mastered it the same year. Now, she saw herself as one of the most dangerous duellers to meet, even though many people would never see her vicious side.

What Anastasie did not notice, however, in her complete bliss, was that her _Colloportus _charm on the bathroom door had suddenly and silently been broken by somebody from the outside. And she did not see how a tall boy made his way over to her, watching her behaviour with utter horror. It was only when she heard a loud gasp from her right, followed by someone yelling "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!", that she snapped out of her haze and locked eyes with the intruder.

* * *

James could not believe his eyes. Perhaps he had truly lost his mind, shattered under all the pressure, and was now hallucinating that somebody was trying to murder Rhys McMahan, a Gryffindor seventh year, who was known to be a lewd louse. Then again, something small, probably a girl, was killing him, or at least torturing him, because said boy was shaking on the white marble floor. James had never really seen anything like it before, but he knew what a _Cruciatus curse _looked like, since his dad had told him about every terror from the war. And now he was meeting the torturer's gaze, seeing that it indeed was a female. A beautiful girl.

Acting on an animalistic impulse, he shouted Merlin knows what and threw himself at the girl, pushing her fragile frame out of McMahan's reach and into opposite wall, which she hit with thump. Her wand fell onto the floor by James' feet, and without even realising what he was doing, he picked it up and pointed it at her, seeing for the first time that it was that new genius; Anastasie Wright. Well, something really was special with her mind if she were doing this in her free time.

They stared at each other for some painfully long seconds, before Anastasie stood up, brushing dust off of her robes like nothing had happened. James noticed, totally immobile, that her hands were extremely pale, with elegant spidery-long fingers. She began walking towards the unconscious McMahan, nonverbally thinking _Accio _and summoning her wand from James' grasp.

With that James returned to life. "Hey, wait! What do you think you're doing?" he bellowed.

Anastasie kneeled before the trembling boy on the floor, muttering a quiet charm that stopped Rhys' spasms, still not answering James' questions. He began briskly striding to her side.

"You, new girl, I'm talking to you! You have seriously injured him, he must be taken to the Hospital wing!"

Anastasie scoffed, somehow melodically. "You are the oldest Potter boy, am I right? They said you are particularly bright. And no, do not worry; this poor little child will not have any effects or memories about this event," she said, casting an _Obliviate _on Rhys, and a _Deletrius _on her own wand, removing all evidence of her previous spells.

"But…" James began, "…Why would you do it in the first place? Torturing him, I mean. And the _Cruciatus curse _has severe effects. He needs medical help."

Anastasie turned to James, her light eyes questioning his sanity and intelligence. "Have you seen somebody recovering from this spell before, or are you quoting one of your foolish textbooks? I am very aware that he will be absolutely fine," she said, pointing at McMahan with her wand, "since I myself invented the spell to recover him."

She had spoken, no _talked down_ to him, like he was an ignorant child, and had somehow managed to make him feel like one. Not even Ginny Potter could do that anymore. "I…It doesn't matter, it's still wrong! Everything about this bloody thing you're doing is wrong!"

"There is no need to swear Mr Potter," she replied calmly, "and do you not think that there is anything wrong with being a rapist? Because I can assure you, this boy has been one since his fifteenth birthday."

James' chin dropped in disgust. "H-how do you know t-that? Wait, no, I don't want to know. Shite." he said, raking his fingers through his hair in a frustrated gesture. "What will you do now? Just leave him here on the floor?"

"Of course I will. Like a said before, he will not remember anything besides a vicious _nightmare. _And the elegant Mr Filch can easily find him, if the door somehow happens to be open in the morning."

"And what if I happen to tell this to somebody else, maybe the Headmaster?" James replied, taunting her, even though he knew it was both ridiculous and daring.

Anastasie smiled, a cruel smirk spreading across her stunning face. She took a step forward, so that they were almost chest to chest. James thought he saw her pale blue eyes shining red for a split second, but that really must have been a hallucination. It was the first time he felt intimidated by a girl. "You will not," she simply answered, danger and an unsaid threat vibrating in her voice, "I can be quite _persuasive _when I want to be, Mr Potter."

Once again they found each other in a staring competition; a pale blue ocean meeting a warm hazelnut. Different in every possible aspect. James was the first one to lose. "Fine. Be as you choose. But you can't go around doing these things anymore. Somebody might see you."

Anastasie began walking out of the bathroom, still smiling in that creepy, almost non-human way, waving absentmindedly at James. "Let me decide that. Goodnight, Mr Potter. I will see you tomorrow in classes."

When she left, she abandoned an alone and perplexed James in the dark room, who had no idea how he came back to his common room and bed that night.

* * *

That was how James found himself puzzlingly sitting on his bed, feeling as idiotic as Anastasie had thought he was. And he still really did not no what to do next. Should he tell somebody? Of course he should. But the new girl had been _very _clear in what was awaiting him if he did. He did not think for a second that it would be any less vicious than what McMahan got.

So for now he would simply let it be. Yes, that was what he would do. Keep an eye on that Anastasie Wright, see if she would do anything similar again.

But, he would sleep now. He would slumber, without a thought of this _devil_ on earth, and lose himself in the hopefully peaceful dreams. Everything else could wait for tomorrow.

* * *

Author's note:

*_Pulchra Syreni - _ latin for "Beautiful mermaid_" (own invention) _

_*Expulso - _Causes an object to explode

*_Confundo - _Causes the victim to become confused, overly forgetful and prone to follow simple orders

*_Furnunculus - _Causes the target to become covered in boils

*_Conjunctivius - _Causes great pain to the victim's eyes

*_Colloportus _- Magically locks a door

*_Obliviate _- Used to hide a memory of an event

*_Deletrius _- Removes evidence of previous spells cast by a wand


End file.
